WASHINGTON(National Times)- US President Donald Trump is “seriously considering” withdrawing America from North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) alliance

In a bombshell interview with The Telegraph, Trump did not mince words, calling decades-old military alliance a “paper tiger” and claiming that Russian President Vladimir Putin is fully aware of NATO’s weaknesses. “I was never convinced by NATO. I always knew it was a paper tiger, and Putin knows that too,” Trump said.

Turning verbal guns toward Britain, US president launched an unprecedented attack on the Royal Navy. “You don’t even have a navy. You are very old, and you had aircraft carriers that don’t even work,” he declared, questioning the operational readiness of the British fleet.

When pressed about whether US membership in NATO might change following the latest conflicts in the Middle East, Trump fired back: “Oh yes, I would say this issue has moved beyond reconsideration…”

The remarks, combining scathing criticism of NATO with a direct challenge to one of America’s closest allies, have already sparked alarm across Europe and reignited debates over the future of the transatlantic alliance.